From the Back Office to the Battlespace: AI's Expanding Role in Naval Operations

Original Broadcast on Innovation in Government on 4/29/25

Presented by Primer & Carahsoft

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer confined to predictive maintenance or back-office analytics. Today, it's a strategic force multiplier in the maritime domain. Charles “Skip” Farmer, Senior Director of Sales Engineering at Primer, shared insights on how AI is enabling faster, more trusted decision-making in both routine operations and contested environments.

Farmer described a shift that’s occurring rapidly within the Navy and maritime services. Initially, AI tools were applied to maintenance scheduling, logistics planning, and historical data analysis—important but largely support functions. Now, however, those same technologies are being integrated into warfighter decision cycles, enabling personnel to assess vast amounts of data and respond in near real-time.

What’s driving this shift? According to Farmer, it's the realization that historical data, once stored and underutilized, now holds immense value when coupled with AI-powered analytics. These tools can rapidly scan, interpret, and summarize complex datasets, helping operators understand threats, identify mission options, and react with agility.

Yet with speed comes the need for trust. Farmer emphasized the importance of building confidence in the outputs generated by AI systems. The infamous “AI hallucination”—where a model invents or misrepresents information—can’t be tolerated in a mission-critical environment. Thankfully, improvements in model training and validation have brought error rates to sub-1% levels. That growing accuracy allows analysts and commanders to act without second-guessing the data.

Equally important is the change in how technology is introduced. Farmer praised a new mindset within the military: instead of asking how to use a given technology, leaders now start with mission problems and work backward to find the right tools. That shift is enabling more tailored, scalable, and mission-aligned AI implementations.

In many ways, AI is becoming a utility—an adaptive toolset ready to be deployed wherever the need arises. Farmer explained that today’s platforms can morph based on use case, helping with everything from contested logistics to mission planning to intelligence synthesis.

The key moving forward, he noted, is architectural foresight. Agencies must design systems today that can evolve with the changing threat landscape—not just to solve today’s problems, but tomorrow’s as well.

Key Takeaways:

• AI is Moving to the Front Lines: Once a back-office tool, AI now supports real-time decision-making for warfighters.

• Data Trust is Crucial: Sub-1% error rates are enabling commanders to rely on AI insights with greater confidence.

• Mission-First, Tech-Second: Successful integration starts with operational problems—not off-the-shelf tools.